1997 Toyota Camry, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Toyota recalls power window switches for 6.5 million vehicles [UPDATE]

UPDATE: There was one incident of someone in the US getting a burn to the hand from this issue Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight tells Autoblog that. "We have 11 reports where part of the door trim and/or switch was burnt," she said. The company isn't aware of any crashes from the problem, though. Because of a potential short circuit in the driver's side power window switch, Toyota is recalling 6.5 million vehicles worldwide, Reuters reports. Of those, the automaker says around 2 million are in the US. The affected models here are: 2007 and 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid 2009-2011 Corolla 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid 2009-2011 Matrix 2006-2011 RAV4 2009-2011 Sequoia 2009-2011 Tundra 2006-2010 Yaris 2009-2011 Scion xB 2009-2010 Scion xD According to Toyota, the switch might not have received adequate lubricant grease during manufacturing, and over time this could lead to a short circuit. In a worst-case scenario, the part might even overheat, melt and cause a fire. As a fix, dealers will inspect the component on these vehicles and apply heat-resistant grease to it, and any broken examples will have an internal circuit board replaced. Toyota already issued one recall for this problem in 2012 when it had to repair 7.5 million vehicles globally from the 2007-2009 model years, including 2.5 million in the US. These latest models had the grease applied in a different way. Related Video: Toyota Recalls Certain Vehicles for Power Window Master Switch October 21, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 20, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 2,000,000 vehicles related to the driver's side Power Window Master Switch. The involved vehicles include certain: 2007 and 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid 2009-2011 Corolla 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid 2009-2011 Matrix 2006-2011 RAV4 2009-2011 Sequoia 2009-2011 Tundra 2006-2010 Yaris 2009-2011 Scion xB 2009-2010 Scion xD The Power Window Master Switch in the involved vehicles may have been manufactured with insufficient lubricant grease. If not enough grease is applied, under certain conditions the switch may develop a short circuit that can cause the switch assembly to overheat and melt. A melting switch can produce smoke and potentially lead to a fire. Toyota previously recalled certain 2007-2009 model year vehicles for a similar condition.

VW targeting 10M sales in 2014

Volkswagen Group believes it can sell over 10 million vehicles in 2014, with hopes of overtaking Toyota as the world's largest automaker in the process. If VW can do it, it would meet that goal four years earlier than planned. Of course, Toyota isn't sitting still - it also hopes to top the 10 million-car threshold this year and has the advantage of already holding the top spot.
"With rising volume and new models, we will increasingly see positive earnings effects as well," said VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn during its annual press conference, according to Automotive News. The company is spending huge amounts of money to propel it to the top, investing 84.2 billion euros ($117 billion) through 2018, and according to AN it plans to introduce over 100 new models worldwide among all of its brands by the end of next year.
The German automaker may get an extra boost as the European car industry shows signs of emerging from its yearlong stagnation and China continues to grow. In January, VW Group was up 8.5 percent in Europe and 15.5 percent in China, according to its own figures. However, the US has been slowing with Volkswagen brand sales down 19.04 percent in January and down 13.81 percent in February.

GM repairing 40,500 Pontiac Vibes as part of Toyota airbag recall

General Motors has confirmed to Autoblog that the Pontiac Vibe is included in Toyota's just-announced recall action. The Vibe and the Toyota Matrix share a large number of parts, including the affected cable to the airbag.
"About 40,500 Pontiac Vibes from the 2009-2010 model years are included in the Toyota recall. Toyota designed and engineered the Vibe for Pontiac. GM will service customers with these vehicles when Toyota makes the parts available," said GM recall spokesperson Alan Adler to Autoblog in an email.
The recall covers 1.3 million Toyota units in the US, including 2009-2010 Corolla, Matrix and Tacoma, the 2008-2010 Highlander, the 2006-2008 Rav4 and 2006-2010 Yaris, plus the addition of the 2009-2010 Vibe. The models all have their airbag module attached via a spiral electrical cable. The connections on this cable can be damaged when turning the steering wheel. Once broken, the airbag deactivates and the airbag warning light comes on. Toyota has an improved part, but it's still making preparations to begin repairs. It will begin notifying owners soon.